| by Nicole Crites |
While exploring the basement of Thistle Hill, one of Fort Worth's most historic mansions, Brent Hull stumbled upon an old pallet of wood on the floor. Upon realizing that it was actually a pool table, Hull said he literally started picking up the pieces and putting it back together. He explained that when looking back in history, horse racing and billiards were two of the most popular sports in the country. People knew pool players like they now know Tom Brady or Dak Prescott.
"It's fun stuff in my mind to realize those things, to remember that," he said. "And now to have that pool table back in Thistle Hill, it is so much fun to have this great piece of history back in this room where it belongs."
In the new television series, Lone Star Restoration, that premiered Monday, Oct. 3, at 9 p.m. on the History Channel, the Fort Worth-based restoration expert and owner of Hull Historical is reviving similar pieces of history all throughout Texas.
"We're doing some really neat projects. We're restoring some really fun things," he said. "So I think it's the right blend of good information and history as well as being entertaining."
The show, starring Hull and his loyal companion, yellow Labrador retriever Romeo, will feature three to five restoration projects in each episode, revitalizing everything from houses to pool tables and a train caboose. Behind every one of his projects is a story, a little piece of history.
"The whole idea of historic preservation is that there is a story and a narrative with all of those houses about when they were built, why they were built, why they used those materials, why they were built that way…" he said. "So I'm excited to blend these great, fun, interesting stories that are all around us, and I don't think people realize that they're there."
Hull said that he traveled all across Texas filming the show, but 50 to 60 percent of the projects took place in Fort Worth.
"This is a neat, historic town. There's great history here," he said. "This is where the West begins, and there's a reason behind that. You know the cattle and the oil and all of the different things that define Texas happened here, so I think it's just an important place."
Hull grew up in Dallas, but his wife is originally from Fort Worth. In 1993 the couple moved back to her hometown to be close to family. As a restoration expert, Hull said the decision to move to Fort Worth rather than Dallas was simple.
"The desire to save and the desire to restore is much more revered here than it is in Dallas," he said. "So really the Fort Worth over Dallas thing was easy because people care more about their history here."
Hull said he hopes people have fun watching the show and that they also learn a thing or two. "I'm excited to share Fort Worth with the rest of the country and the rest of the world," he said. "And I really hope it's a positive thing for the city."
